Heaven Sent
by Emmery
Summary: Slight AU Fic. Richard Grayson is known to most as merely the Batman's sidekick. But what happens when he begins to meet a unique group of people as time goes on? Will he turn out to finally become as great as his mentor? Couplings: Just RobRae so far...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: After having the most successful story in my fan fiction membership with this couple, I have decided that it was IMPERITIVE for me to write another story with them. This fic is slightly AU, or Alternate Universe in a way. I was thinking about it, and decided that, yes, in fact it could be classified as such. This is a story I actually wrote over the summer and took up two 85 sheet notebooks. The original is basically one huge soap opera, but I took the core subject of it and this is my re-write. Original version is a mess because I think I was on crack during the summer, also, most of it was written at literally midnight so there's like little drawings of stuff all over the pages and I created a split personality….

Enough with my babbling, let's get this started.

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Gotham City. Many see it as a cesspool of crime with its notorious villains and numerous gangs. Others, though, see it as the home of a legend. The vigilante Batman, the dark knight, call him what you will. But, in the tale of the bat, many forget his loyal companion; the robin. Daring, smart, and cunning, like his predecessor, he scales the rooftops in the shadows of Gotham without fear. But from what is forgotten, great things may arise…this is where our story begins…

_Gotham City: Wayne Manor at 7:55am _

"Aww, c'mon! It's not going to _kill_ you to let me out on my own!" The boy whined relentlessly.

Richard Grayson, known to most as Robin the boy wonder. His future was bright, unbeknownst to him of course, but fate had a great deal in store for him. For now though, he was just a caged bird, dying for independence.

"Rich, You're only 16, I don't think you're quite ready to patrol by yourself just yet…" Bruce Wayne responded wearily. He had aged considerably by now, taking on Robin to pick up for the, what he considered, lack luster in his skills. He was strong, massive, and debonair. That was one thing Richard always admired him for; he aged so damn well.

"We've been training for endless hours, I can just stop a few muggings and if any trouble above that arises, I'll call you." They had been in this argument for weeks now, with fruitless arguments on both sides of the spectrum.

"Promise?" Bruce peered at him across the table. Richard nodded vigorously and the older man gave a sigh of defeat. "…Fine, you can go, but I swear to god if you respond to so much as a bank robbery…."

"I know, you'll have my head." Rich stood up, triumphant in his fight.

Bruce watched warily as he took his coffee mug and strode off like a proud peacock of some sort. That boy could be so obstinate at times…

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_Gotham City: Alley Way off of 5th 9:24pm_

Violet eyes opened into the darkness, absorbing unfamiliar surroundings. It was dark, dreary and cold here, she wasn't exactly pleased. Something shifted behind her and she tensed reflexively, pulling her hood back over her head in flash. How had she ended up here of all places? Why this planet, at this time?

All of her questions melted away as she felt someone hastily grab her hand and twist it behind her back. The barrel of a hand gun sent shivers down her spine as it was ground into her back.

"Where's your purse?" The man demanded, yelling. His breath smelled of some ungodly substance.

She grimaced in response, shouting her spell in her mind, but the fear that was boiling inside her prevented her from saying it aloud.

"I…I don't have any…" She managed out grimly.

"Liar!" He pressed her arm closer to her back, causing more pain to run through her.

He went to say more but it was cut short by a metal staff connecting a deadly blow to his head. He released the girl and fell to the ground, unconscious of course. She stumbled forward, looking at the man's body as she rubbed her arm sorely.

"M'am, you alright?" A shadowed figure asked, stepping forward into the light.

She collected herself, power crackling back into her hands. Thinking she would be mugged again, she raised her palm and sent a steady stream of black magic in the shadow's direction.

"What the? Hey, I was just trying to help!" Robin shouted, he had collided with a group of trashcans, which wasn't exactly fun, to say the least.

He stood up slowly, staring at her as she blinked. "Help? You…You don't want money?"

Robin raised a masked eyebrow and snorted in contempt. "Hardly. You must be new to Gotham…I'm one of the good guys." He rubbed his shoulder. "Perhaps you've heard of my…ah…Mentor, The Batman." Everyone knew the bat but certainly not the bird…

She shook her head. "Sorry…No. But, I'm uh….sorry about hitting you…" She mumbled.

He put a hand up. "Nah, it's alright. So, what's a girl like you doing out on the streets by herself anyways? Most people don't hang out in dark alleyways for a living."

She looked around. "Well, I sort of just landed here…"

"Huh?" He tilted his head. "Are you an alien of some sort?" He asked, jokingly of course.

She contemplated that for as second, "I guess so. I'm not from this planet, so that _would_ classify me as one…"

Robin stared at her. "You've got to be kidding me…No way…Man, Gotham has some crazy shit…" He grumbled to himself. "If you're not from Earth, where ARE you from?"

"Azarath….Not many people have heard of it." She looked away for as second. Never really did care for interrogations…

"Alright, well, I know where you're from…but I don't know you're name. Care to share?" He was never normally this nosy, but it wasn't every day he met someone from an extraterrestrial planet.

She lowered the hood she was wearing slowly and lowered her dark lashes, inspecting him. "I'm Raven…You?"

Robin swallowed back his surprise at her appearance. Her skin…it was almost silver, glistening gently in the moon light. Her hair was nearly identical to her eyes in it's mauve coloring.

"I'm uh…Batman…Or…Uh…Robin…Richard…No…Dammit!" He groaned. He could help kick the Joker's ass on a daily basis but couldn't tell a pretty girl his name? Bruce would be disappointed.

She blinked. "Come again?"

"Robin. Robin the boy wonder." He said in a firm tone of voice, a bit proud of his notorious title.

Raven tilted her head slightly. He wasn't all that tall for a normal human male, at least from what she had learned about them anyways. His hair was a striking ebony, spiked perfectly in all different directions. His skin was pale like hers, glistening with a bit of sweat around his forehead from his acrobatic escapades. The feature that caught her off guard the most was the mask…What was it for?

"So, Raven…What was that you hit me with?" He asked, referring to the magic that had sent him colliding with the trashcans.

She gazed at her hands for a moment. "I'm a telepath…I can move objects with my mind and magic…"

Robin's masked eyebrows raised. "Wow! So, assuming the fact you were being mugged…I guess you don't use those powers to fight crime, huh?"

"I don't cause it either, if that's what you're suggesting. I just arrived here and didn't exactly receive the warmest of welcomes. I haven't even begun to find a place to stay until I figure out what to do with myself…" She would have preferred if she had no idea why she was sent here, but she knew why. Until that time came, she could ignore it and perhaps even prevent it…

He thought for a second. She had superpowers and didn't know what do with them, perfect criteria for a super hero…or super villain…"Hey, I can take care of a place to stay for you…" Bruce had said something about helping people out. Besides, if she happened to fall into the wrong hands, she could end up being the next Joker or Penguin.

"Why don't you come home with me?" He suggested with a broad smile.

Raven looked at him skeptically. "What for….?"

"Well, you've got super powers, so might as well use them. We sure could use some help with protecting Gotham." He held a hand out to her.

She stared at his hand. "Well…Alright…" She didn't have much to lose really, and he seemed like a good enough person.

Raven took his hand and he promptly pulled out a grappling hook. She gasped slightly as he pulled her to his chest and the spiraled into the night sky. She totally ignored the fact that she could fly on her own…

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Robin had surprised himself with how friendly he had been towards Raven. He was usually much more subdued, finding himself a miniature Bruce at times. But tonight, it was different. She had needed a place to stay and the manor certainly had the space to spare. Besides, it would be nice to have someone his own age to talk to.

They arrived at the illustrious manor, stopping at the spiraling gates. He had smartly opted not to enter through the batcave like he usually did, figuring it would keep Bruce in a good moon. He buzzed the gate and waited for Alfred's response.

"Oh, Richard, it's you. I shall buzz you in."

"Al! I've got company…So it's Robin, alright?" He whispered into the speaker.

Raven hadn't heard it though, she was too busy staring at the manor. There were multiple windows all over, accenting each steeple that protruded from the house. Dark red rooftops blazed, even in the night and she could see the ghostly glow of lights in nearly every room. The fences were nearly covered in crawling vines and flowers, shadowing the brilliant view of the city that was behind the mansion.

The two metal gates swung open slowly and Robin walked forward, signaling Raven to follow. She trailed along after him, watching the gates creep closed behind them. They entered the house and Raven took in more of the brilliant sights before her. It was breathtaking really, the spiral staircase that seemed to loop forever, statues and paintings probably worth millions decorated the walls, taking her breath away.

An older looking man met them at the foot of the stairs. He inspected raven with the cock of an eyebrow. "Shall I get a tie for you to leave on the door master Grayson?"

Robin glared at him. "Very funny Al, but I was hoping to have her as just a guest. She's new around here and almost got herself hurt when I found her."

Rae seemed to snap back into the conversation, tearing her eyes away from a particularly striking painting. "You know…this really isn't necessary."

"No, No I insist. Alfred, make us some tea would you?" He smiled serenely.

Alfred gave a slight nod. "You may as well make your new acquaintance comfortable. Master Bruce is officially out for the night, most likely making sure _you_ aren't getting into trouble."

Robin sighed. "Tea Alfred."

Without another word, the butler left the room. Rob turned back to Raven, looking worn.

"I really have to…thank you for this…I could have just found a place myself, really." She told him.

He shook his head. "Nah, where would you have gotten the money anyway? And believe me, Gotham isn't exactly the safest place on Earth at night time. Now, let's go get something to eat…I'm starved!"

Raven watched him walk towards the kitchen, delaying her steps momentarily to gaze at him. What exactly lie ahead for her on this planet? Would more people be like Robin, or would more of them be like the man with the gun?

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A/N: Ah, end chapter one. I'm happy with how this story is turning out so far. Don't expect any romance for a long while, I'm learning to train myself on how to build up romantic tension in stories in order to make them more interesting. Though it's hard because, well I love, love fluffy stuff. So, I have the entire weekend to myself to play playstation until my eyes bleed and I will be working on this new fan fiction. Though don't expect a new chapter for another week because I have thanksgiving break next week and can't post my chapter. -sigh-

Alright, please read and review!

Love,

Emmery


	2. Introductions

A/N: Well, I have the entire weekend and house to myself and instead of throwing a wild party like I had originally planned, I decided to pull out the vodka and write fan fiction instead. Hah. I'm happy you guys enjoy this story though, because I really like where it's going to go down the road and I hope you'll keep reading. Okay, let's get this show on the road.

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Robin and Raven sat in the kitchen, coffee and tea remnants lie before them, sipped away aimlessly over the few hours they had spent here. The clock on the wall read out a glum 12:55am, with no hopes of the sun rising anytime soon. Robin cursed silently under his breath for keeping Raven awake so long.

"You can go to one of the bedrooms if you like, I doubt Bruce will be home anytime soon…" Robin muttered tiredly.

Raven sighed. "I'm alright. I really don't want to take advantage of your generosity without permission."

Silence filled the room again for a moment as the pair gazed at one another. The clock's hand nudged slightly to the next minute, grasping closer to one in the morning.

"Robin…You know a good deal about me…but I hardly know anything about you…" Raven took a sip of her tea, looking up at him.

He looked up at her, mouth twitching into a discontent expression. "Well, there's not really a lot to know. I just live here with Bruce and fight crime….yeah…"

"This Bruce….He your father?" Raven raised an eyebrow slightly.

Another pause, another shadowed emotion. "Nah….but…I suppose you could call him that. He's more of a mentor, I suppose."

Raven went to ask more, a lot of questions had arisen from the fragments of information he had given her. But she could see the pain that shadowed his expression and decided against it. He had been so kind letting her stay here, she figured it would be best not to upset him.

"Wanna go watch some TV?" Robin asked, a small smile returning to his face.

Her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "T…V?"

"Damn! That's right, you're new to the planet. Oh man, do I have a world of stuff to show you!" He stood up, a mischievous, but amused grin plastered to his lips.

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_Wayne Manor, 5:32am_

Bruce let out a lengthy sigh as he walked through the halls. He just come home from one long night with Penguin and needed nothing more than a good nights sleep and some aspirin. As he neared the living room though, he saw the flickering glow of the television making its appearance on the walls.

"I swear…That boy needs less sleep than I do…" Bruce mumbled and walked into the living room.

He stopped abruptly though at the sight before him. Robin was leaning far back into the couch, his head lulled to the side as a slight snore escaped him. The remote dangled loosely in his hand, inches from crashing to the ground. But it wasn't the sight of Robin that caught him off guard, more the fact that there was a girl next to him.

Her violet hair poured onto Robin's shoulder, it looked as if she had fallen over, rather than fallen asleep in such a position. Her lips were in a firm, straight line, heavy breaths escaping from her nose. Her skin looked almost white as it took on the blue hue from the television.

Slowly, as not to wake the girl, Bruce shook Robin's free shoulder, whispering his name harshly.

"Richard!" Bruce hissed.

Robin gave a slight groan, his eyes blinking open. "Huh? Oh…Bruce…Hey…."

The older man stood up straight, peering down at Robin with a questioning scowl upon his face. That scowl never did mean anything good was about to happen…

"You have quite a bit of explaining to do." His voice was firm as his eyes looked towards Raven.

Rob gulped and stood up slowly, placing Raven on the sofa with the utmost care. He stood up tall, staring Bruce in the eye to show he had some sort of a backbone when it came to being scolded.

"It's a bit of a long story…I found this girl and she was being mugged so I helped her out. Turns out she's got superpowers and everything, it's pretty neat. She didn't have anywhere to go, so I figured, hey we've got some room here, why not give her a place to crash? And…here we are."

"That wasn't _that_ long of a story."

"It's an expression, B."

Their eyes met in a dueling glare, no clear winner in sight.

"Did you tell her about…everything?"

Rob nodded. "Yeah, but she's new to Earth. It's not like she's going to run to the paparazzi and expose your identity or anything. Hell, I think she could even make our duo a trio."

Bruce's teeth barred slightly. "This is completely unorthodox, you do realize that, don't you? Perhaps she was just playing stupid with you and she's going to expose us. How could be so careless?"

"Oh, this is ironic. You're going to scold me because I have more of a heart than you do? You've got, how many rooms, twenty, in this house and you can't even help a girl get on her feet?"

He contemplated that for a second, mouth twitching into a frown. "Fine. Get her to a bedroom and when she wakes up, she can train with you and me tomorrow. There she'll have a chance to prove herself worthy of what you play her up to be. Deal?"

Of course he was skeptical as hell, but if Richard could see something good in her, then perhaps he was right. That boy was much smarter than to pick up a common criminal in disguise.

Robin gave a single nod, turning back to Raven. "And Bruce…"

He stopped in the doorway, hand perched on the molding as he looked back from the corner of his eye. "Hmm?"

"Thanks."

They shared the briefest of smiles and Bruce walked away, still in a quest for that aspirin he had come for. Rob slowly picked Raven up, careful not to wake her as he traveled up the stairs and into one of the luxurious bedrooms. He placed her on the bed with a long sigh and pulled the covers over her as she shifted slightly.

Somewhere inside of himself, Robin knew that her arrival would bring change. He began to realize that he was never meant to stay caged here with the bat, there were bigger things ahead of him. Perhaps there always had been, but he had focused so greatly on the tragedies behind him, that he didn't see the greatness that lie ahead.

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_Wayne Manor, Third Floor: Training room 8:15am_

Bruce stood tall before Robin and Raven, dressed down in a muscle top and pair of black pants. He kept inspecting Raven with a cautious eye, waiting for her to make a single suspicious move.

After a minute or so of stares, Bruce held out a hand to Raven. "I'm sorry we didn't get to have a more formal meeting. I'm Bruce Wayne."

Raven nodded and shook his hand with uncertainty. She could tell he was wary of her, not a very trusting man, but then again, who could be in his situation? "I'm Raven…Raven Roth."

Richard watched them both, keeping a silent eye on their expressions. Everything was tense, and he knew that Bruce could be very prone to snapping on a whim of suspicion.

"Well Raven, let's see what you can do." His hands curled into ready fists as he stood in a fighting stance. He wasn't about to waste any time with useless conversation.

"Bruce…Wait a sec…" Robin began, but it was too late.

Raven had to swallow a gasp as Bruce came at her with an array of attacks. As soon as one fist missed her, another would target again, like a relentless string of bullets. She finally managed to conjure up her powers, after overcoming her initial shock, creating black shields that floated in the air, protecting her silently.

Bruce gave a silent nod to Robin, inviting…no, _demanding_ that he help with his assault. Rob took a deep breath and pulled out a hidden staff, flying in the air, aiming for a weak spot on Raven's defense.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She cried out, seeing him from the corner of her eye. His staff was enveloped in her black magic, surprising the hell out of him.

"Inanimate objects; not a smart move with me." Raven said blandly, flicking her wrist and causing the staff to break in two. She ducked to the right, avoiding another one of Bruce's attacks and sent the two halves of the staff at Robin.

He dodged the attack with a quick black flip, his eye catching on the other half that was aiming at Bruce. Before Robin could speech a warning, it hit Bruce sharply in the back. He let out a low growl for not catching the devious attack, but awaited Raven's next move. He had already scouted out one of the few weaknesses she had.

Robin moved forward, spinning the broken staff in both of his hands, ready to knock Raven out cold if needed be. She shook her head slightly, wondering when he would learn that she could control his weapon.

"Azarath Metr…" She began to mutter under her breath, but Bruce, who had silently disappeared from her view seconds before, stopped her from finishing her spell with a crushing right hook to her jaw.

Raven tumbled to the ground, the faint taste of copper filling her mouth. She felt a small amount of blood escape the side of her lip, but ignored it. Instead, she looked up at Bruce, staring intently into his blue eyes. There, she saw no mercy. One of the very things he stood for. But it was no mercy to a point, he wasn't capable of murder, no. It was just he wasn't about to let some unknown person in his house without a fight; literally. He knew damn well she could handle these attacks and wanted to see exactly how far she could be pushed.

He was right too, she _could _handle this. Her hands were instantly enveloped in black as she rolled forward, sending both Rich and Bruce flying towards the back of the room. She had moments of surges of her power, bits of unruly rage and fear that would release themselves in unpredictable swirls of magic.

Bruce lie dormant for a few seconds, flying into a brick wall wasn't exactly fun, but he had encountered worse. He pushed himself back up slowly, cracking his knuckles. Richard sprung up after him in time, mouth twitched into a discontent frown. He still had a lot to learn about pain tolerance.

Raven took a deep breath, staring at the two men. "So do I pass or do I have break a bone before that happens?"

He chuckled darkly, walking forward. "You're good, I'll admit. But you have a few minor faults that need to be fixed before you go out into Gotham."

Robin cleared his throat. "Bruce…"

He held up a hand to silence his ward. "I've lived in this city my entire life, and I know, as well as everyone else that lives here, that it's rotten from the core. Only the best and the brightest can even _begin_ an attempt to fix it. And that's not as easy as it sounds. It takes dedication, strength and wits. Do you have all of that?"

She took a deep breath. "I would hope so…"

"There's no room for hope in here! Are you really willing to give up any chance at a normal earthen life to protect this city?"

She straightened up. "I will do whatever it takes." Her voice had never sounded so firm. Her intention when she had arrived on Earth was to do something noble, something to make up for what her future would do to this planet…so, naturally, when Richard had offered her this position, it seemed sensible.

Robin watched them silently, remembering when he was in her position years ago. Of course, some of the circumstances were different, but it was still clear as day to him. Bruce's dark demeanor, the promise of honor and justice, and the promise of bravery.

"Richard, I want you to start organizing the case files for me while I talk to Raven."

"But I did those last week!" He complained, his gut still not trusting Bruce to be alone with anyone new. He had a volatile personality at times.

Bruce glared at him and he gave a groan, taking a glance at Raven as he sauntered out of the room. Her expression was blank, showing no fear, no excitement, just…acceptance.

"So what exactly is your plan with Robin and I?" He peered at her skeptically, listening to Robin's footsteps disappear into the darkness of the stairwell.

"To fight evil, just like you do now and try to fix the corruption on this planet."

"You really think you can accomplish that? A few magic spells and some dark powers won't get you as far as you'd like to think."

Her mouth twitched into a frown. "I have much more behind me than a few flashy powers. Just like I know there's more behind you than a sly grin and a fake, robust voice."

Bruce stared at her, his questioning gaze not faltering for a second. She was brash, showing that she did have a lot of hidden confidence. Confidence that could prove dangerous if not handled correctly.

"I'll allow you to stay…but don't expect anymore of a relationship other than the crime fighting from Richard. He's had a…complicated past that can't be fixed with a new friend. I've known him for about four years now, and I still can't figure out how to break the shield he puts around himself." He paused here, laughing bitterly to himself.

"I suppose I'm like that too in a way, bottling myself up from society in a cape and mask."

She peered at him. "I don't plan to try to magically heal Richard. I'm not going to make this into a teenage love story. But he's not completely lost like you claim. He has morals, _sanity, _and most of all, compassion. That's much more than the common criminal has."

"But that compassion can cause deadly mistakes at times…"

"No, you're wrong. That compassion stops him from making the mistakes. It doesn't create them. For example, if you had no compassion and killed every criminal out there, sure, it would be for the better good of the city, but then everyone would be in silent fear of you. Making you a criminal yourself in the end."

He gave a gentle nod and smiled to himself. He had been testing her, and she knew it, answering his questions with the utmost precision. Bruce knew damn well about the beauty and danger of compassion. It was what separated them from the likes of all the ruthless villains on the street.

"Make yourself at home and talk to Alfred. He'll get to work designing you a costume."

"A costume?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He began to walk up stairs, signaling for her to follow. "Ah, you'll see."

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A/N: Yey! Another chapter completed! Whoo boy, I really like this one. Well, that's 'cause I'm in love with Bruce Wayne. XD No, I'm really a Batman nerd, I have problems. I got a twenty five dollar check from my grandma from my birthday, and you know what I spent it on? That's right, comics. Lots and lots of comics. Next chapter I plan to go into deep, yet somehow vague, first person account of the key part of Richard's past; His parent's death.

Next chapter: Raven begins to get a better taste of the life that Robin and Bruce live after she patrols with them one night. After a tango with the Joker trying to murder Robin, putting him on bed rest, she finds herself bonding with him as new wounds heal and old ones are re-opened.

Well, read and review everyone!

Love,

Emmery


	3. The Past and The Present

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Raven stood before Bruce and Robin, who were already all suited up and ready to go. The expression on her face was anything but happy as she glanced down at her outfit.

"You seriously expect me to wear this, don't you?" She asked monotonously.

Robin tilted his head. "What? I don't see anything wrong with it…"

Raven barred her teeth slightly. "Yeah, that's because you can see….well everything!"

The outfit consisted of a midnight blue, sleeveless belly shirt and a matching skirt. The top had a perfectly cut triangle in the middle, revealing an excessive amount of cleavage. She didn't enjoy that, to say the least. A few good points about the outfit though, were the black ankle boots and long, flowing cape. There was a belt there too, yellow to almost match Robin's. It wasn't really necessary, considering she had powers, but there were a few useful items in there such as her communicator and some weapons to launch at criminals.

"Well…" Bruce, or Batman, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The top is a bit showy…but we don't have time to argue about that. Let's get in the car."

Raven opened her mouth to argue more, regardless if they had time or not, but all words left her mind as the bat mobile rolled into view. She had never seen a car like this before. It was almost a convertible as the top slid down, giving view to two seats in the front and a short backseat. The seats were illuminated slightly by the bright glow of the front dashboard that had over a thousand buttons, each with it's own command.

Robin and Batman and jumped in the front as Raven cautiously lowered herself into the backseat, afraid her skirt would fly away at any moment. It wasn't long before the top slid back overhead and a couple buttons were pressed, causing the car to give an almost soundless start.

"Buckle up." Bruce said, grinning like mad. He always did love showing off his car to new people.

Raven barely had time to grab the seatbelt when the car zoomed forward, leaving Wayne Manor and the batcave far behind them. Her mind was spinning with the flashing colors of the various lights outside. This was like flying, at light speed.

"So, what are we getting called out for?" Robin asked, glancing at Raven briefly to make sure she hadn't lost her dinner.

The dark knight sighed, his hand clenching on to the steering wheel a bit harder as he made a sharp turn. "Joker broke out of Arkham again…"

Robin's face paled. "And you brought Raven along with us? Maybe she should have…"

"No, she needs to at the very least stay on the sidelines and watch this. We can't keep her shadowed from him and the other villains. Besides, she can help out undetected, standing on a roof top and keeping herself out of view."

Raven had a few questions to ask already, who exactly was this Joker? It seemed to bring up a lot of fear in Richard, that was for sure. But she had promised to help them, even if from afar, and that's what she intended to do. So as Bruce stepped on the brake and the car came to a screeching halt, she took a deep breath and prepared to fight.

The trio jumped out of the car and Raven looked up at the building, reading the sign that read 'museum'. Typical robbery with some nut case from an asylum, didn't sound all that hard…

It wasn't until they stepped into the building that Raven realized the gravity of the situation. Half the artifacts were already being loaded up into a truck that had made its grand entrance through the wall. The men that were holding the sculptures of gold were dressed up as….clowns?

"Oh! Batsy! So glad you could join us! And you brought some new friends too!" A screeching voice exclaimed from the darkness around them.

She saw Bruce and Robin tense up instantly, their hands curling into ready fists. Raven saw Rob give her a signal to go hide somewhere and she took it reluctantly, teleporting on to one of the main support beams overhead. It was there that she saw the villain take a form, stepping out of the darkness towards her partners below.

He looked like a possessed villain from a child's tale. His hair was bright green, set off by his white skin and yellow, rotting smile. Wearing a bizarre purple suit with a green bow tie around his neck, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. He laughed loudly, like a dying hyena or something of the sort.

Bruce wasted no time and useless banter, he ran right for the Joker and so did Robin, after hesitating a few seconds, letting his mentor get a head start. The men who had been smuggling the artifacts began to advance on the pair. Now it was Raven's turn to come in silently, she muttered her power under her breath, a number of crates crashed into the henchmen, causing them to fall backward in shock.

"Picked up a few new tricks, did we?" Joker asked, dodging one of Bruce's crushing blows.

Robin came from behind the Joker, impaling him in the back of the head with his staff. "Just a few." He said darkly.

There was no response from the Joker for a few seconds as he lie on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Bruce gave Rob the signal to go take care of the henchmen while he tied up Joker. Raven leaned forward, her mouth a grim line. They shouldn't be so quick to call it a victory…

"Batman, honeycakes….?" She heard the Joker ask mockingly.

Bruce went to pin him down, but it was a few seconds too late. He had already sprung back to life, kicking Bruce to the side with a foot to the face. He reached into his coat, pulling out two guns and aiming them at Richard.

"Don't you know I _always_ have more guns?" He cackled.

Raven couldn't take it anymore, she knew Rich wouldn't see those guns and Bruce was just getting his strength back after being knocked into one of the robbery trucks. She leaped down from the raptors, her cape fluttering behind her as she glided to Joker.

"Raven!" Bruce shouted, running back over to the Joker, hands ready to bash his skull in.

Joker glanced back at Raven and pointed one of the guns at her, his grin expanding to an impossible width. She stopped in her tracks, swallowing hard as she starred it down. It wasn't a normal gun, of course not. It had a dart lodged in the front, a dart covered with a malevolent looking green substance.

"Looks like I'm going to kill two birds with one stone! Get it? Hahaha! I crack myself up!" Joker commented.

Bruce's fist collided with the back of Joker's head, but his fingers already pulled back on the triggers. A bit of blood flew from the Joker's mouth as he fell to the ground, the guns sliding away. Raven quickly created a shield around herself, giving an overdue sigh of relief as the bullet bounced off of it, falling to the ground with a sizzle.

Robin, though, wasn't so fortunate. Bruce cried out to him, hoping to grab his attention before it was too late. But he had been battling one of the henchmen that had awoken, and didn't hear a thing. Raven closed her eyes and looked away as the dart hit Robin's back, the substance that it had been covered it, most likely acid, ate through his cape and struck his back.

The Joker was really out now, after Bruce delivered a series of near deadly punches to the villain. The henchmen Robin had been battling, fled the scene before they could be given a taste of the Batman's wrath. Raven rushed over to Robin's side, he was yelling, trying desperately to remove the dart from his back.

"Calm down Robin!" Bruce commanded through his teeth and pulled a vile from his belt. He threw it on Richard and he ceased his yells. "The base I threw on you neutralizes all acids. You should be fine…"

Joker stood up slowly, laughing. "It may neutralize the acid, yes, but what about my new and improved laughing gas? Little Robin will be splitting his side until he dies! Oh, and don't try the old, usual antidote, it won't work." Then he jumped into one of the robbery trucks and stepped on the gas.

"Joker!" Bruce yelled, standing up, ready to chase after him.

But something stopped him, Richard began to laugh, slow at first, his whole body beginning to shake with the action.

"Br…ahaha…Bru…hehe! Bruce! Hohaha!" He reached out, falling into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Dammit!" He shouted and pressed a button on his belt, causing the bat mobile to fly in from the entrance the Joker had created. "Raven, load him into the backseat, we've got to get home right away."

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Wayne Manor, Outside Infirmary room 2:37am 

Raven leaned against the wall, a long sigh escaping her. Bruce was inside the infirmary with Richard, who was still under the heinous affects of Joker's poison. They had already tried a number of antidotes, all of them proving to be useless. The most they could do was give him a sedative to keep him asleep, but he would still break out in fits of laughter, rousing him from his temporary sleep.

It was disturbing, to say the least. Raven felt the utmost worry rising inside of her, what would happen if they didn't find the antidote? Would Rich laugh himself into death? The door slid open, reveling Bruce. Rich's fits of laughter echoed into the hallway momentarily before the door snapped shut again.

"How is he?" Raven asked gently, looking up at Bruce.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I've got to find Joker and get a sample of that poison. If I don't, we can't create an antidote for it…."

A few seconds went by before Raven spoke up. "I want to help."

"No. I can't let you. What happens if you end up like he is?" Bruce regarded her darkly.

"I'm not human, remember?" She said, her voice becoming firm again. "Maybe the poison won't have an effect on me."

He contemplated that for a second or two, eyes peering harshly upon her. "Fine. But you've got to wear this. It's the one part of the outfit I forgot to give you." He held out his hand.

"Oh c'mon…." Raven groaned, staring at the light purple mask he had in his palm. It looked exactly like Robin's, except for the color of course.

"I can't risk your identity being exposed. Joker never really has favored my sidekicks, so if he sees you out on the street, or more importantly here, he'll figure out who we all are."

Raven slipped it onto her face, making sure it stuck on perfectly. The ends of it were hooked upward slightly, making the mask a little different from Richard's. Bruce pulled his mask back on, once again becoming the Batman.

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Raven and Bruce stood atop a building across from a creepy looking abandoned warehouse. It was pitch black where they stood, except for the small presence of moon light. Bruce said this was the place Joker liked to make his home when he was out on 'vacation' from Arkham. It figured. The creepiest location in town for the creepiest villain for the next twelve towns.

They had a perfect plan, each step mapped out to a precise T. One wrong move, and Raven could end up like Robin, laughing to a gruesome death. Bruce took a dive off of the building without so much as a word and Raven followed suit, gliding into the building after him.

The warehouse was full of crates and nothing better, except for the presence of…circus supplies? Broken signs from some past even were strung high into the air. Raven peered at them, reading, 'Gotham Annual Fair. The Greatest in town!' in bright letters.

"Don't let down your guard." Bruce warned through his teeth.

They split up, like they had planned, and began to look around for any sign of the Joker or a spare supply of his serum. Raven froze in place when something moved behind her.

"He sure was quick to replace the old birdie, hmm?" Joker appeared right in front of Raven, hanging upside down by a wired trapeze, probably something he had done himself for kicks.

"Joker." Raven said, trying to keep herself calm and collected.

"Don't believe we've met before." He swung forward slightly, his face inches from hers. "But, I know you're awfully good at blocking my darts!"

Then he swung forward, attempting to knock her over. She leaned back as far as she could, Joker's wild hair dangling centimeters from her body. He leaped off the swing, his feet colliding inches from her head as she rolled away from the impact.

"Where's Batsy? Perhaps he's getting too old for this gig? That would explain all the kids he's hiring!" His Cheshire grin only widened.

Raven brought up her powers, hands illuminating the scenery a bit more. "I came alone." She lied bluntly.

He cackled, moving forward. "I'm a clown; not a fool girl! If you're expecting me to start shooting at you, like you want, it's not going to happen!"

Her eyes widened slightly. He had caught on to the plan in mere seconds. He came at her with full force again, trying to knock her out with his frantic attacks. He could have had her out easy with one punch; if he could catch her, that is. She remained untouchable, reflexes kicking in full gear.

"Raven!" She heard Bruce's voice call into the air harshly, the shadow of his figure became apparent above her; he was on the rafters.

Taking a deep breath, Raven leaped into the air and caught the Joker's crafted trapeze. He narrowly missed her feet attempting to knock him away as she soared upward, landing perfectly on a support beam.

"Don't you want to catch Joker?" She asked, a bit breathless.

He growled slightly and threw her a piece of his belt; a vile. "Take this to Alfred, he'll create the serum from it. Luckily Joker was stupid enough to keep the gas with his henchmen. I'll stay here and handle the nut case."

A soft 'good luck' was on her lips, but he had already leaped down to the ground. She spotted a window in the distance and ran across the beams to it, leaving behind the sounds of Joker colliding with the walls of the warehouse.

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Alfred slowly injected the serum into a still hysterical Richard. His laughs began to soften instantly, his body shaking less and less until he finally stopped with a gasp, become released from inevitable death.

"Richard? Are you alright now?" Alfred asked, leaning forward.

He took another deep breath, body aching from the poison's effects. "I…I think so….Where's Bruce?"

Raven spoke up now, "He's out catching Joker…you should get some sleep."

Alfred looked up at Raven. "Will you be alright watching over him here? I need to be present in the Batcave in case master Bruce requires assistance…"

She waved her hand gently. "Of course, you can go."

They both watched as Alfred drifted out of the room. Raven took a seat at the foot of Richard's bed, sighing ever so slightly.

"Anything you need?" She asked, looking over at him finally.

He tried to sit up, only to find that his limbs ached to no end. "Raven…"

"Hmm?"

Robin looked away for a second, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry about earlier…"

"What? You didn't really do anything to…."

"No, I did. You told me a lot about your past, after I interrogated you of course, and I didn't give you much information about me other than the obvious. I was rude."

She shook her head. "No, I understand. You don't have to tell me. There's obviously something that troubles you…"

He looked back at her, studying her as she stared at the floor. "If we're going to live together…fight crime together…We need to know each other's incentives. I know yours, you have powers and you want to use them to fix corruption…."

"Basically." She said and locked eyes with him. "What's yours?"

Rob thought about that for as second. No one had ever really asked him…"Retribution mostly…."

"And why's that?" It was her turn to ask a couple questions now. Retribution…justice…but why? Sure, every human wants that…but to go this far in search of it, there had to be a much stronger motive.

He took in a deep breath through his teeth, preparing himself for an upcoming battle inside of himself. Then he began to talk, every word sounding like a piece of glass that cut into him slowly……

(Flashback)

x Gotham Annual Circus, four years ago…x

_We were known to the world as the flying Graysons. Soaring through the air like nothing else ever seen before. I knew they'd always be there to catch me; mom and dad. My heroes. I never even once considered what would become of my life if I ended up on my own…_

_It had been a special night, or so my parents and numerous others had told me._

"_All the big time reporters and even Bruce Wayne himself are here to see the show!" They told me excitedly._

_Bruce Wayne. Just some guy with a ton of money and some status for all I was concerned. I vaguely remembered something about hearing he had suffered a great tragedy in his life, but none of that concerned me. It couldn't have been that big if he was rolling in money… _

_We hadn't been in Gotham for too long, only staying the two or three weeks the show went on. Then we'd travel to some other part of the world, as usual. I had a job to do. A job any kid my age would die for. Never having to go sit in a boring class or stare blankly at a chalk board. Nope. Always just flying with the occasional home schooling, but even that had its benefits. Instead of recess, I would have practice, which was better than any game of square ball I could think of. _

_The performance that night was nothing special, going through the motions like we had twenty times over. I always did enjoy looking out into the audience as I soared, gazing upon the priceless, shocked reactions of the crowd. That's when I saw Bruce for the first time. Rubbing his chin and studying me for some underlying cause…_

_I quickly tore my gaze away, flying into a forward flip to end tonight's performance. I can still remember the routine by heart, I'd say each step to myself in my head. Always landing on my feet at the end, like a cat, somehow._

"_The Flying Graysons!" The usual voice announced proudly; we were our own celebrities._

_My parents stood tall and I took a deep bow, smiling gracefully…._

_To this day, I'm not quite sure how the shooter managed to sneak that gun in. The security had been so tight…_

_All I remember are the gasps from the audience as I looked back to see the bullets crash through their skulls. Blood went everywhere, splattering onto my face, my hands, my feet…just everywhere._

_It all seemed to go into slow motion from there. They tumbled to the ground without so much as a scream or a final whisper to me. I felt like I was outside of myself, witnessing this horrible tragedy. This wasn't happening…it couldn't have._

_The police whisked me away before I could run. I tried to get away, I really did. I wanted to find my own place to hide, to somehow manage to grasp the fact I was alone forever now. They couldn't be dead…They couldn't._

_But they were._

_They, the police, tried to tell me that I had seen things wrong, I was making it all up. But the blood on my shoes didn't lie. I was traumatized, but not stupid. The car took a swerving right as I yelled at them, telling them I could identify who did it, anything for them to just drop me off somewhere. _

_I was pulled out of the car and thrown to the ground, surrounded by the officers and their nightsticks; cornered. They advanced on me and I couldn't exactly stop them. I was outnumbered by so many factors…_

"_What the hell—" One of the officers exclaimed, a looming darkness flying towards us…_

_Bats. Millions of them came flying into the scene, serving as my silent rescue. They moved frantically through the air, attracted by some unknown force. The police scattered away, leaving me for dead to these creatures of the night._

_That's when _he _came in. _

_Headlights bright as hell, causing all the bats to scurry away, back into the darkness. It was just me and him down. I was on my knees on the floor, gaping up at him._

_It was an amazing sight to see, I'm sure._

_He gripped me by the front of my leotard and hiked me up high, causing the air to rush out of my lungs. I had spent a good fraction of my short life in the air, but I had never been so afraid of heights in this single moment…_

"_Stand tall Soldier." He told me in his grizzly voice. "You've just been drafted into a war."_

_From that moment I knew I'd probably never be in a big top again. Would never be a flying Grayson, never have them catch me…_

_He threw me into his car and stepped on the gas with that lead foot of his. I was as shocked as you were the first time you saw the car. It's a like a spaceship or something really. _

_He grinned almost maliciously at me, creeping me out with those shining white teeth of his. Perfect, sharp, like a tiger ready to tear you into shreds. _

_There was no sympathy in that car, no apologies for what had just happened. Nothing. He was brash, not giving me time to think, not letting me concentrate on anything but him. I realize now, that was a godsend. For if I had managed to run from the police, If he hadn't caught me, if I had had the time to think, I probably would have ended my own life._

_The Batman. I had never really thought all that much about him. Like I said earlier, we only visited Gotham once a year for the circus gig. I would hear people fawn or bash him, saying he wasn't needed or that he was a guardian angel. The opinions were mixed._

_But I realized that night why we had him. It was because Gotham was corrupt. Most cops in most cities you can trust, but not Gotham. It's rotten from the core, the entire system from the police to the mayor is just corrupt. That's why we have the Batman. To protect those who live in fear and stop those who create it._

(Back To Present Day)

"It's for them…" He finished darkly. "I fight crime with Bruce so no one has to end up like we could have; alone and probably dead with in a couple of hours. We want to end the suffering here."

Raven stared at him in wonder. She remembered Bruce's words from earlier, he had told her that Robin had a complicated past…but this was extreme. To be able to survive such pain, even with Bruce's help, that took true courage. Courage she hoped she could muster up to help them in their cause…

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A/N: Wow. That was a long ass chapter. Much, much longer than I had originally planned. But I did really enjoy writing about Robin's past, hope that didn't bother anyone. But this is an origin story, so I figured I may as well give Robin's past. Then we'll move onto Raven's past, Starfire's, ect., ect. Man, I've gotta to do some research then, hmm?

Ah, for next chapter, I'm thinking that we'll perhaps get to meet Speedy! And, anyone that has read my previous story, thank you for the venom, knows that I love to make them best buddies. Tehe. Also thinking that we'll bring Victor (Cyborg) in next chapter too. But he'll be in for a bit now, and come back later, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Well, please continue to read and review everyone!

Love,

Emmery


	4. On My Own

A/N: Okay, before I begin. I'm going to have one long ass author's note here…

Since this is an origin story, and we just recently had the episode 'Go', allow me to get some things off my chest….

(aggravated sigh)

Ack! Where do I begin, I mean, seriously. I expected a hell of a lot more from this episode, you know? Don't get me wrong, it had it's good points like Robin being TOTALLY Bruce like, that was hot as hell but I really hated how the entire story focused on Starfire. And I'm not biased just because I like RobRae and most RobRae fans hate Starfire, it's just, they made her like a god of some sort. Like it took the ENTIRE team to take her down, that was a tad ridiculous. And then, save for Robin and Starfire, the rest of the team just MAGICALLY appeared. I mean, we saw B.B in his doom patrol outfit and Cyborg had his little freak out, but that didn't really satisfy me enough. Especially with Raven, they just like, brought her in and that was that.

Then, yes, we had the RobStar kiss scene after like 5 delayed seasons of hints and moments and other various things pointing to their relationship. But it was so haphazardly thrown in there, it was ridiculous. She didn't even have a reason to kiss him. I was so angry about that. I expected their first kiss to be something all magical with music and _love… _And another point then, from my RobStar fanatic side, if they kissed when they first met, WHY haven't they kissed again?

Who all agrees with me that, just in general, the sixth season has not been the best. Infact, I'm losing interest in the show because it's just so…crappy. C'mon, we've got Stephen Hawking for a villain! If they had just ended the show with last season, I would have been happy, y'know? That season kicked ass pretty hard and I was satisfied. We have had a few high points in this season, like how they brought Kid Flash in, and Jericho in the newest episode but…it's just lacking. All these new characters they bring in are just, well, brought in. There's no background to them, or anything like that. For example, they just had Jericho like fight a bit and pat B.B's head, I know he's mute and all, but he's a character that could have soooooo much more done with him considering he's the SON of the uber badass sexy man Slade.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all up for a 7th season of Teen Titans, but I think that the producers have lost direction and just got bored with the show. Now in the sixth season, they're just shoving in everything they didn't plan for in the other seasons. Like the origin episode, everyone wanted that since season one and they just chucked it randomly in here and same with the RobStar kiss, they just threw it into 'Go' so that when the show finally comes to a close, the RobStar fans won't become rabid and kill them…(Because the RobStar fans are a little scary when it comes to their faith…sheesh, try and tell them that the fifth season points to RobRae, one sided or no, and they like blow up on you with their precious episodes 'Sisters' and 'Stranded'….)

Okay, Okay. I'm done with my rant…holy shit that took up a lot of space and time. But seriously guys, give me your opinions. If you think the sixth season rocks, then that's your opinion and I'd love to hear it!

Now, onto what we're actually here for…heh.

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Raven sat in the chair next to Robin's hospital bed, watching the news reports intently, amazed by the amount of violence around the world and in merely Gotham alone. It was about five in the morning now, and she hadn't gotten much sleep besides dozing off in the chair a few times. Robin had been asleep for quite some time now, gaining his energy back and snoring quietly.

"_Well Winona, a disturbing new story straight from Jump City, California. It's a domestic disturbance turned attempted murder in the suburbs of the city. We have been told that that a woman and her husband, who have been identified as Adeline and Slade Wilson, were the only people harmed in this struggle. Reports from neighbors say they have a very complicated past and weren't all that surprised by the couple's fight. Police have told us Adeline pulled a gun out on her husband, with intent to kill him, but he luckily survived the shot…."_

"Sad, really, when a marriage goes downhill like that."

Raven jumped slightly, she had been so absorbed in the report that she hadn't seen Bruce slip in. He looked as tired as she felt as he watched her.

"How's he doing?" He asked, nodding towards Robin.

"Oh, he's been asleep for a little while now, he should be back to normal when he gets up." Raven said, "And what about you?"

A Cheshire grin was her response. "I'm good. Joker's back in Arkham where he belongs and I've got an assignment for you and Richard to cover tonight."

Her eyebrows raised slightly. "Already?"

"Well you said he'd be back to normal when he woke up. It's nothing big, just a small drug bust. You can't tell me you're not dying for some more alone time with Richard." His grin widened.

She stared at him and said dryly, "Sorry, the butler already beat you to the suggestive comments."

"Really? Well, I suggest you get some sleep so you can eat breakfast with the rest of us in a few hours."

"Suggestion taken." She said, turning off the television to the image of a man named Slade Wilson.

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The moon loomed high in the sky as Raven walked down the illustrious staircase to meet Richard and Bruce. She was dressed down, considering she would be going strictly undercover. She felt more comfortable in the outfit Alfred had put out for her than her costume, that was for sure.

Robin watched her descend down the stairs, gazing up at her through his ebony hair. He hadn't spiked it as usual, so it hung low in front of his eyes, hiding them slightly from the outside world.

Raven stood before him and looked around, "Where's Bruce at?"

"Where else? He's downstairs in the cave, he told me just to get you and Alfred will drive us to where we need to go." He said almost bitterly.

"I take it you don't like undercover work?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed and opened the door. "No, what makes you think that?" He muttered sarcastically and walked down the stairs to meet the limo that was parked out front.

The pair climbed in and Robin sunk into the leather seats, showing his further discontent with the situation.

"Hate it when he does this." He said, looking out the window. "Whenever I get injured he sends me out on some busy work."

He cursed under his breath and leaned further into the seat, wanting to be swallowed whole by the plush cushion.

A small smirk played at her lips as she continued to stare out her own window. "You miss the mask."

"Yeah."

"And the hair gel."

"Yep. But you know what I don't miss? The spandex. That stuff is not the most forgiving fabric sometimes."

Raven's teeth glistened quickly as she let out the slightest of laughs, watching as the car zoomed by an exploding bush; undoubtedly her fault. They came to slow stop and Raven gazed up at the building they had stopped at. It was fairly large with a small line of people waiting to get in and a large man standing at the door, arms crossed defiantly as he overlooked each of the potential guests.

"Thanks Al." Robin said quietly as he exited the car and opened Raven's door for her.

Almost all the heads in the line turned to watch as she climbed out of the car, silently taking Robin's offered hand as he lead her to the front of the line, disregarding any of the other waiting patrons.

"Sorry short stuff, clubs all full." The man said with a rough, low voice.

Robin reached into his pocket and pulled out three crisp hundred dollar bills. His face was like stone as he spoke. "The Benjamins say you have room for two."

The bouncer took the bills and inspected them for authenticity. Nodding slightly, he opened the door, much to the dismay of the line and let them in. Raven felt Robin's hand squeeze her own a bit harder as they entered.

There were people everywhere in the haze of thick smoke that filled the air. A considerable amount of people, but not enough to exclude the small amount that waited outside…

"Not really professional to bribe, is it?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You wanted me to force my way in? No, if we're going to be undercover, we shouldn't make too much of a scene."

The small dance floor of the club was packed with people dancing shamelessly with one another, eyes blood shot and faces worn with sleep deprivation. The music pounded through the building as Raven was pulled further through the crowds, a room that was shrouded by curtains coming into her view.

The thick, violet curtains were pushed aside and Raven grimaced slightly at the sight before her. People in groups, dealing with all types of various narcotics, selling, buying, shooting up, apparently, nothing was off limits behind those curtains.

"Richard…" Raven whispered, swallowing hard, her eyes darting away from the stares of the people.

He stopped and turned to face her. "I know, this is a little…creepy. But I'm here, okay? If we stick together nothing will…." He stopped mid sentence, looking behind Raven in disbelief.

She followed his gaze to a tall, well built red haired boy. He looked around their age, eyes a blazing green color as he inspected the room. She peered at him, trying to see if he was under the influence of any drugs like the rest of the people here were…

"Roy!" Richard called out and stepped forward.

The boy looked over at them, spotted Richard and grinned. "Hey Dick! What are you doin' here? Word on the street said you almost got taken down by Joker.

He scoffed. "As if I'd let that maniac be the death of me? " His tone of voice had changed now. Proud, and a bit relieved.

Roy, as Rich had called him, laughed. "Yeah, that'll be the day. But seriously, what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Bruce get tired of you following him?"

Richard suddenly remembered Raven and glanced back at her. She was rubbing her arm absent mindedly, watching the two guys talk.

"Ahh….actually, we're here undercover. Roy, this is my new friend…Raven." He moved to the side a bit, giving a reassuring smile in her direction.

She merely forced a smile onto her face in Roy's direction. He raised his eyebrows high and gave a Cheshire grin.

"Rawr. Cut me a slice of that pie!" He winked at her.

Raven stared at him, trying to stop the scowl from curling onto her lips. "Heh Heh…cute." She managed out with as little spite as she could manage.

"Roy! Keep your pants on for once, would you?" Rich snapped at him, glaring slightly

He sighed and shook his head. "You never have time for any fun, do ya?"

"Rich…" Raven whispered in his ear, trying to remind him why they were here. She was just about done with this 'smooth' gentleman.

Rich straightened up now, "Well, Roy. We're just going to take care of business here and then go back to Bruce, care to join us?"

Raven cringed slightly, when she was trying to rush him along, that's not what she had intended. Infact, she wanted to be done with this entire place altogether, forget what Bruce had told them to do…

The small beeping noise of Richard's phone began to beep rhythmically. The trio looked at it for a second before he put it to his ear and his face became grim.

"Yeah, Bruce?….Uh huh…You're kidding….Alright, Alright. Fine. See you in five." He growled slightly and shoved his phone back in his pocket, acting as if he'd rather forget it had even rung in the first place.

He looked to Raven first. "We've gotta head home and suit up, apparently, Penguin is attempting a grand heist down at the museum, Bruce is asking for back-up since he's pre-occupied with Cat woman."

"A little strange they'd be out on the same night, don't you think so?" Roy said, arching an eyebrow.

Richard gave a solemn nod. "Looks like the bust is going to have to wait. You can meet us at the museum if you like, Roy. Raven, let's go catch the limo."

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Raven flew high in the air above as she watched Robin leap from rooftop to rooftop. She had offered to carry him there, but he refused, saying he enjoyed the old fashioned way of moving around.

Her mind was wondering about a number of things. Who exactly was this Penguin? Was he any worse than Joker? So many unanswered questions, so little time to seek answers . All she could focus on now was the array of flashing police lights gathered up ahead at the museum. She glided downward to join Robin on the rooftop across the street.

"How're we supposed to get in with all the cops guarding the entrance?" Raven muttered, peering down at the hundreds, perhaps thousands of cops that stood below.

"We'll take the same way Penguin did, I doubt _he _went in the front entrance." He gazed at the building, finding his destination. "We're aiming for that window way high up, see the hole in the glass?"

She nodded solemnly and on the count of three, she leaped off the building, taking a dive downward and sweeping back up in one quick motion. Her eyes darted to the flash of red and black that went by the corner of her eye, Robin had chosen a grappling hook at his method of travel.

Grappling hooks aren't exactly fool proof though, especially when there's two henchmen waiting at the hole in the window, sharp blades in hand, ready to cut the wire that keeps the entire thing together.

Raven noticed this before Robin did and swooped down, clutching onto him tightly as the wire snapped, fluttering away in the wind. The police from below gazed up at the pair soaring through the night, landing on the rooftop.

"Now if you had just swallowed your pride and let me fly in the first place…." She muttered, slightly amused.

He peered at her. "Gloat later all you want, we've got to get inside and stop Penguin before he…."

She gave a slight nod behind him and he snapped around, going instantly into battle stance. He expected Penguin to be standing there, ready to make his escape into the night, but instead it was Roy, dressed up in his costume, grinning slyly.

Raven inspected him warily, her eye catching first on his mask, it matched Robin's and her own, except it looked slightly crimson in the fleeting light. His outfit was simple, a deep maroon body suit accented with a pair of yellow boots and belt that matched the pack of arrows on his back. In his hand he held bow, completing the 'archer' look.

So he was a superhero too….

"Took you two long enough!" He said with mirth to his tone.

"Oh shut up Roy, you just got here too." Robin replied, the slightest of relief to his tone. "Now that we're all here, let's go inside already!" He was growing impatient, in his mind timing himself, knowing that Bruce was counting on him.

The three heroes wasted no time in jumping down the stairs, splitting up amongst the third level, the Egyptian exhibit, where Penguin was trying to dash off with a rare statue. This was Penguin's type of place, museums, but this crime was a bit…strange.

The statue was that of a golden cat…

Not a bird…

Robin noted this briefly as he balanced on a railing of the floor above. He was watching Penguin closely, monitoring his moves before making an attack.

His two henchmen, strange looking fiends dressed in all red and white masks, were guarding the Penguin's self made entrance, as well as the exit down below.

The stout man was just about to make his getaway, statute in hand when…

"You know, all that gold is really quite tacky!" A voice echoed through the building and a yellow, glowing arrow zoomed through Robin's view, hitting Penguin dead on in the back.

Penguin growled as he flew forward, nearly dropping the statue on the ground as he went. "It's not for me you little Brat!"

He straightened himself up and pulled out an umbrella, pointing the daggered end in Roy's direction. "Besides, what makes you think you, an amateur, can waltz in here and try to stop me?"

Robin landed almost silently behind Penguin, followed by Raven appearing from a malicious looking black swirl on the ground.

"Well, if we're such amateurs, then you'll have no problem facing three of us." Raven said slowly, her hands becoming enveloped in their black magic.

Penguin's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Umm…let's talk this out here, I'll just put back the pretty statue and…Heh…"

Robin glared at him. "And you'll tell us why you're working with Catwoman."

"No! I offered to give up the prize, that's enou-oof!" A small crack rang through the room as Robin's fist connected with his jaw in a right hook.

He stumbled to the ground, the statue almost shattered, but Raven caught it with her powers and placed it back on its perch. Roy gazed down at Penguin, watching as he gave a slight groan.

"Think you over did it." He grumbled idly.

"Alright Penguin, ready to talk?" Robin asked smoothly, bending down to his level.

When Penguin merely laughed, he went to ask him again, but his eyes darted up in Roy's direction. "Speedy, ten o'clock!"

The archer barely had time to roll away from the razor sharp blade of Penguin's assistant. Robin leaped forward, using his bo staff to impale the one assistant and swiftly kick the second that had begun it's advance on Raven.

"They're after the statue!" Roy called, pulling out his bow and a blue glowing arrow, aiming directly for the group of running henchmen.

Raven, using her powers, beat Roy to the punch and bowled the group over using a large display model of an Egyptian pyramid. The group looked around, seeing all the henchmen were either taken down, or fleeing.

Penguin, seeing that his plan had failed miserably began to run for his self made entrance, umbrella ready for him to soar away into the night. But Raven chanted low beneath her breath, and used the velvet rope that lined the display cases to bind his hands and feet, causing him to collapse in a heap on the floor.

The police, finally able to get in after Penguin's henchmen were gone, began to flood into the room instantly. The trio was already out of sight, meeting each other on the roof in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, we did a damn good job in there!" Roy said proudly, stretching his arms high in the air as he walked.

Robin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, we caught Penguin, but didn't manage to get any information out of him." He pulled out his phone and dialed up Alfred, requesting a car.

Raven walked up beside Roy, "I'm sure Bruce has the information from Catwoman."

Roy scoffed. "Yeah after playing a little bit of 'Naughty Veterinarian'…."

Both Raven and Robin looked at Roy with almost matching dry expressions on their face. He merely laughed their glares off.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Batman is not sleeping with Catwoman!" Robin yelled, groaning afterwards, putting a hand to his forehead and snapping his phone shut after giving a quiet thank you to Alfred.

"Okay, whatever. Let's get back to the cave."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Raven gave a relived sigh as she walked into the Manor with the guys. The promise of sleep before the sun rose was something she was looking forward to. They weren't quite there yet though, as there was still much to be discussed in the way of tonight's events. Why exactly had Penguin and Catwoman been working together?

When they entered the Batcave, Bruce was sitting in the massive chair at his computer. His cowl was off somewhere, but the rest of his costume still remained, cape spilling over the edge of his seat, dangling to the floor.

"Back so soon?" He questioned, turning.

Robin smiled slightly. "Ah, the three of us are pretty lethal together."

"So, anything interesting…" Bruce said slowly, testing his ward.

"Well," Robin began, glancing back at his friends. "Roy instantly noticed when you called us that it was strange that Catwoman and Penguin were out on the same night. Then, I noticed when we got to the museum, that Penguin was robbing a statue of a cat, not a bird like he usually does. He also mentioned that the statue wasn't for him, leading me to believe they had a plan going on."

"Very good, A plus for all of you, well except Roy. You get a C minus for making the crack about me and Catwoman."

"You heard that! What the…" He said indignantly.

Robin laughed. "I was already in the process of calling him when you opened your stupid mouth."

Bruce shook his head. "Well, anyways. You all really did do a good job. I didn't expect you to catch Penguin, but hell, you did it. "

"And Robin, you were right about Penguin and Catwoman. Apparently, it was a bit of a trade going on between them. They split up trying to confuse me, not realizing that I would send you out on your own."

"So, what's our reward? Swing at the ol' liquor cabinet?" Roy said, hopefulness to his tone, a sly grin on his face.

Raven had the notion to smack him, just to shut him up for once, but she merely grumbled. "How about sleep? I know all of you are used to it, but I still like to sleep while the sun _isn't_ in the sky."

Chuckling slightly, Robin agreed. "Yeah, a bed does sound good right now. You stayin' the night Roy?"

"You think I'm hauling my ass all the way back home after what we just did? This is me you're talkin' about here, right?"

"I'll tell Alfred to prepare another room." Bruce said, slight amusement lining his tone as he shooed them off with the flick of his wrist.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Raven sat on her plush bed, legs crossed, eyes closed, back straight, sitting in the perfect locus position. She took a deep breath in and began her mantra, slow and steady, focusing her powers and thoughts. It had been ages since she had meditated, bordering dangerously with overusing her powers. They were still highly unstable, as far as she was concerned, and didn't need any of Bruce's expensive furniture spontaneously combusting.

Richard and Roy were outside in the hallway, talking to each other in front of Rich's room next door. Their voices echoed slightly in the thick silence of Raven's room, interrupting her meditation slightly, but not enough for her to yell at them. She simply bowed her head, falling further into her trance, picking up only bits and pieces of their conversation.

In the hallway… 

"So, I know it's been a while since we've talked but…how long have you been with this Raven?" Roy asked, raising his still masked eyebrow.

He thought about that for a second, "About a week or so…"

"Oh…" Roy said slowly, looking away for as second.

Richard looked at him suspiciously. "What…?"

"So, you two aren't…." He began to make obscene hand gestures.

"Why do I even bother with you?" Richard asked, rolling his eyes. "And to answer your question, no, we're not. We're just friends, just fighting crime, nothing more."

He grinned. "So, say I were to come along…."

"Don't even think about it!" Rich said, raising his voice in a severely scolding tone.

Roy glared at him, partially playful, partially spiteful. "Oh, I thought you didn't like her like that." He said mirthfully, a smirk playing at his lips.

"I never said…." He growled slightly, glaring at the mocking expression on Roy's face. "I'm going to sleep, see you tomorrow."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

_Batcave 7:25am_

Robin yawned loudly, stretching his hands high into the air as he walked up to where Bruce was sitting. The computer was already on, news reports flickering by along with miscellaneous pictures and information.

"You wanted to see me?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly.

Bruce turned in his chair, inspecting him for a second before speaking. "Well, yes…I'm debating on something, but I wanted your approval first."

"My approval…for what?"

"Now, before I say this, don't jump the gun. I'm still considering it, I haven't made my decision yet…."

"Okay, now my interest is peaked, c'mon and tell me already." He prodded impatiently.

"I've gotten word of some rise in gang activity in a city over in California…It's nothing too serious, just a little more than the police can handle. My presence has been requested by some allies of mine, but you know as well as I do, Gotham needs me…"

"So…." Robin said slowly, catching on. "You were thinking of sending me?" It was hard to contain the small smile on his lips.

He gave a solemn nod. "Now that you've got Raven and Roy with you…"

"You're actually, seriously considering this?" He felt like a little kid again, asking his parents for a long desired puppy and for once, instead of a simple 'no', it becomes a 'maybe', giving a much needed ray of hope.

"I have to do my research on this city but…so far so good…" Bruce could already see the excitement and happiness written all over Richard's face and couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

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A/N: Well, there we have it, chapter four! I'm going to have our original base titans in jump city consist of Speedy, Raven and of course Robin. I began foreshadowing RobRae romance, obviously, I couldn't really hold back on it anymore. But there's nothing wrong with Speedy poking a little harmless fun. I love making him the big brother type.

And more on Speedy, we're going to learn a lot more about him in a chapter or two down the road. He was at that club for a reason….

Ah, what else, oh yeah, Slade! Yey! He's going to be coming probably sometime towards the end of next chapter, making his first appearance as the evil bastard he is. I've become obsessed with Slade, really, been reading far too many DC comics for my own good. But, man, he's so awesome. Enough with my babbling now.

We're going to be introduced to someone else next chapter too, it's one of Teen Titans. I'm going to do it so that they meet the team now, straighten some things out and then we don't see them again until after they go through a major life change. Woo, that was hard to do without spoiling it. But, if you're smart enough, you've figured it out already.

Next Chapter: Robin, Speedy and Raven arrive in the not so glorious Jump City. A giant cesspool for mobster activity and mischievous bank robbers. Can the trio hope to fix this city before it's too late?

Keep Reading and Reviewing!

Love,

Emmery


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